PESHAWAR, April 17: No army in the world could win war without the support of its countrymen and political ownership of the ongoing military operations in militancy-hit areas of the country was necessary to achieve long-lasting peace, Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Khalid Rabbani said on Tuesday.
Addressing participants of a seminar on ‘War on terror and role of Pakistan Army’ at University of Peshawar (UoP), the corps commander said from 2008 to 2012, the government’s writ had been re-established in 91 per cent of Fata, while the situation in the remaining areas was under control.
He said around 3,300 Pakistan Army personnel had lost lives in the line of duty in the war against terrorism and more than 10,000 had been severely injured in various operations.
“We and the whole nation feel proud of those, who have laid lives for peace in a war where there is only one option for us and that is to win it,” he said
Lt-Gen Khalid said Pakistan Army had conducted more than 300 major and 760 minor operations in militancy-hit areas over the last few years, mostly in 2009-10. He said peace had been restored in the entire northern region of Pakistan and road accesses to most of Fata had been established.
The corps commander said the army was working on a sustainable development plan for Fata to improve livelihood of locals.
He said the army had been carrying out 52 educational projects in Fata and they included establishment of a cadet college in South Waziristan Agency, Khyber Institute of Technical Education and Waziristan Institute of Technical Education.
Lt-Gen Khalid called for gradual mainstreaming of Fata and said its infrastructure development was imperative for socioeconomic development in the region.
He said the army went to an area for pace at the request of the federal government. He denied that the army consumed eight per cent of the budget and said all three forces i.e. army, navy and air force consumed 17 per cent of the country’s total budget, while the army shared in it was 8.7 per cent.
Chairman of UoP Political Science Department Professor Dr AZ Hilali, whose department organised the seminar, highlighted the importance of the seminar and said it was a sign of solidarity with Pakistan Army, which rendered great sacrifices for peace in the country.
